


Book One: Inner Journeys

by Bellum



Series: Spiritual Uproar [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-03-13
Updated: 2010-05-30
Packaged: 2017-10-07 22:54:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/70088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bellum/pseuds/Bellum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The war is over, but the journey has just begun</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Celebrations

**Author's Note:**

> This is my attempt at a continuation of the story starting a few months (sometimes in early autumn) after the end of the show.
> 
> Avatar: The Last Airbender and anything in it belongs to someone else.

 

When they danced together, the whole world would stop to watch, but he didn't care about that.

 

He was so engrossed in his partner that he hardly noticed the crowd admiring them. His face glowed with a natural grin as they sparred around each other, mimicking movements they had practiced so long together in rivers and lakes around the world. Unconsciously, they transformed their fighting arts into an expression of something much more, and their mood radiated throughout the crowd.

 

The world was safe for the first time in a century. The Southern Water Tribe had been brought to the brink of extinction. Now, over a thousand tribesmen and women from a hundred miles had gathered to the village to rebuild and to celebrate a new beginning. A primal beat erupted from the tiger sealskin drums, complimented by a heavy dose of pipa plucking. The tempo continued to increase, and so did the energy from the tattooed boy and his partner. In time with the beat, he moved in a circular pattern around her, and she seemed to flow with him. As the song reached its climax, the two could hardly be visually separated. One movement seemed to flow naturally into the next. The boys feet hardly seemed to touch the ground, and the ice seemed to morph below the girl. As the song came to a close, they found themselves spiraling high into the air as the crowd cheered. When the boy boldly kissed his partner, the crowd cheered even louder.

 

“You and Katara dance well together. Happy birthday, Aang,” said a powerful looking warrior several minutes later.

 

“Thank you, Hakoda,” said the avatar, bowing and grinning uncontrollably, “and thank you for throwing this party for me. I almost forgot what not having to worry about a psycho killer fire lord felt like.”

 

“It's an honor to have you here with us, Aang, but to be honest it wasn't really my idea.” Hakoda smiled warmly at his daughter as she returned with drinks, and Aangs face lit up even brighter.

 

“Hey Katara, wanna go penguin sledding with me?”

 

Yeah, it was good to be just a kid again. Even if it was only for a little while.

 

___________________________________________________________________________________

 

Near the other end of the world, another crowd was growing around an open stadium carved into a mountain. In the center was a huge hexagonal arena, and an old man paced around it while he sized the audience up.

 

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first ever Rock Breaker tryouts!” he finally said, after deeming the audience large enough. The mountain shook unnaturally when he spoke, amplifying his voice so that the entire audience could hear.

 

“The rules are simple. If you are knocked out of the ring or knocked unconscious, you will be disqualified! Our first contest of earthbending strength will be between the famous Toph, also known as... The Blind Bandit!”

 

Toph, a small, helpless looking blind girl shuffled onto the stage. Her eyes had this unusual consistency that emphasized her condition. She grinned mischievously at the audience. This was supposed to be a _real_ earthbending competition. She hoped for challenge.

 

“And she'll be fighting the earthbending war veteran from Gaoling, The Boulder! “ An overly muscled man strutted onto the stage.

 

“The Boulder will rock the audience with his...” The boulder began a speech in his own honor, but it was unfortunately cut short as a pillar of rock emerged from the ground under him, shooting him off into the distance.

 

“Not _this_ again,” Toph sighed.

 

___________________________________________________________________________________

 

Deep in the slums of Ba Sing Se, a woman was waiting tables. She was not terribly old, but it seemed like the world had aged her. She walked towards a table where a mans straw hat covered his features.

 

“What can we get you today, honored guest?”

 

“Do you know,” he replied softly, “how hard it was to track you down?” She took a step back as the man looked at her and revealed an ugly red scar on the left side of his face.

 

“Come home, mother. I need you... _Azula_ needs you. “


	2. Journey Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a longer chapter with a lot of dialog. I hope you like it. Please critique!

Sitting together with her son in the now forcefully evacuated pub, Ursa brought her hand up to Zuko, stopping just short of touching the ugly burn mark that dominated the left side of his face.

 

“I've heard rumors, but...” Ursa began, tears overtaking her for the second time that day, “I'm so sorry, Zuko.”

 

Zuko took his mothers hand and brought it to his face.

 

“Don't be,” he said, “This scar made me who I am. Yes, it hurt me, but if I hadn't gone on my journey, I'd still be a sad confused little boy. I used to think the world was punishing me because I was weak or pathetic. Now I realize it was making me stronger. Not just strong enough to survive, but strong enough to do what's right.”

 

“Zuko,” Ursa began, tears now covering her weathered face, “Zuko, back in the Fire Nation I did some terrible things”.

 

“Mother, stop it,” Zuko said forcefully, “You did was you thought was necessary to protect your family. Nobody can blame you for that. If anyone needs redemption, it's me. I chased the avatar around the world like an animal, and for stupid, selfish reasons.”

 

“My son,” Ursa began with a deliberate pace, “whatever you have done, that you are able to acknowledge your mistakes and learn from them only makes me more proud of you than ever. You have been through so much. I wish I could have been there for you, these past few years.”

 

“I'm glad you're here now,” said Zuko, no longer able to contain his tears, “I've missed you so much”. Suddenly a laugh escaped him, something that still felt a little awkward to his ears after all these years of hardship. “The tea in this place is pretty terrible. Let me take you to see some old friends that will be almost as happy to see you as I am.”

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Sweep, sweep, sweep.

 

The repetitive sounds of his chores often brought the novice monk Chintak into a reflective state, but as always he was undisciplined and negative. He had never desired anything more than he desired enlightenment, and he _would_ get it.

 

“Hey Tak, you going down to the village tonight?” Chintaks thoughts were returned violently to the present by his older friends interruption, “There are going to be some pretty girls at the festival!” his friend suggested, waggling his eyes.

 

“Monk Balmohan,” Chintak said with a formal bow, “haven't you taken a vow of celibacy?”

 

“Tak, always so serious!” he grabbed Chintaks shoulder and they huddled conspiratorially, “Just because I can't have sex doesn't mean I can't impart some of my wisdom to a beautiful woman, does it?” He grinned, “And you! You haven't taken your vow yet. This may be your last chance, Chintak! You don't want to ascend a virgin, do you?” He slapped his friends back and walked cheerfully toward the monastery gates.

 

“Chintak,” greeted an old monk, “I need to speak with you.”

 

“Monk Eido!” explained Chintak with a nervous but deep bow, “It would be an honor.”

 

“Forget your chores for now, initiate,” the old said with a gesture, “and walk with me.”

 

They walked silently around the temple grounds for several long minutes. Finally, they reached a secluded side exit next to a small pond. Eido took some bread from under his robes and handed half of it to his companion.

 

“Chintak, how long have you been with us, now?” he began, before throwing a few crumbs to the turtle ducks.

 

“Almost ten years,” replied Chintak, understandably uncomfortable with the subject.

 

“I remember the day you came to us as a boy,” said Eido sadly, “you were so confused at the time.” He turned face his young friend, “I feel like you are still conflicted in many ways.”

 

“I have a lot to learn,” Chintak admitted.

 

“Yes, but as you know, there are things that we can teach you, and things you must discover for yourself.”

 

“I'm not sure I understand, Monk Eido.”

 

“Chintak,” Eido began slowly, throwing more crumbs out into the pond, “Before you can progress any further here, you must discover what you want out of life.”

 

“But Monk Eido,” Chintak protested, “I want to reach enlightenment. That has always been my goal. There is no conflict there.”

 

“Isn't there?” Eido challenged, “Chintak, I do not think enlightenment is your goal. Rather, I think enlightenment is a means to an end for you.”

 

“What are you getting at, Eido,” Chintak asked heatedly, leaving his manners behind, “Why are you telling me this?”

 

“This spring you will be twenty years of age,” Eido began, ignoring the outburst with a typical display of patience, “At which point you will be legally qualified to enter our ranks. However, I cannot in good conscience allow you to do so until you truly understand the values that we teach here.”

 

“But I do!”

 

“No,” Eido said firmly, “you do not. And you have reached a point where we cannot teach you anything further on this matter. You must discover the truth within yourself.”

 

“What must I do?” Chintak asked in resignation.

 

“I want you to go on a retreat to the Anzan mountains. I want you to go alone, and I do not want you to return until it is time for your ordination.”

 

“Monk Eido, when the winter winds come, I will freeze to death!” he certainly did not want to start the process of enlightenment over in a next life.

 

“Chintak, your journey will not be without danger, both physically and mentally, but we will help you prepare. Furthermore, you are a capable earthbender. I am confident that you will survive. Concentrate on the Self. You _must_ find what you are looking for.”

 

_Of that_, he thought sadly, _I am less confident_.

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Two lovers sat alone together under an icy cliff...

 

“I love you so much.”

 

“No, I love you.”

 

“Maybe, but not nearly as much as I love you.”

 

“You think that, but I love you _so_ much...”

 

Sokkas heartfelt declaration was cut short as he was covered in snow. He heard laughter as he dug himself out. Aang and Katara were both rolling. To his annoyance, even his girlfriend couldn't contain herself.

 

“Thanks for the interruption, guys, I really appreciate it.”

 

“You're welcome Sokka,” Aang said, a little _too_ innocently.

 

“What do you want, anyway, or did you guys just come here to ruin my fun?”

 

“Aang is leaving for Ba Sing Se in a couple of weeks,” Katara said, “and I'm going with him. We wanted to know if you two wanted to come along”

 

“Yeah, I don't know what we'll do without your sarcasm, Sokka,” Aang agreed.

 

Sokka glanced over to Suki, his girlfriend and beautiful Kyoshi warrior, who gave him an almost imperceptible nod. Still, Sokka took a moment to think on it himself. Did he really want to go through all that again? In the end, though, he didn't want his sister going off on possibly dangerous adventures without him to keep an eye out for her.

 

“Alright,” Sokka said before standing and brushing the snow off him, “Team Avatar is back!”

 

Everyone gave a cheer, but Sokka suddenly got a serious look on his face.

 

“Hey Aang, do you think we have time to stop at Wulong Forest first?”

 

Aang frowned, “We'll have to leave a little early, but I think we can do it. Why?”

 

“I lost something important there, and I'd like to get it back.”


	3. Conversations with the Self

_In._

 

_Out._

 

_In._

 

_Out._

 

Chintak sat beside a lake just a few miles outside of the Gensho monastery. This was his first evening away from his home. The sun was just beginning to set, and already the cold mountain air made him uncomfortable.

 

_In._

 

_Out._

 

_In._

 

_Out._

 

Chintaks breathing was steady, deliberate and deep. He closed his eyes, and concentrated on the feeling of his breath.

 

_In._

 

_Out. _

 

_In._

 

_Out._

 

He could hear water trickling from a near-by stream and the buzzing songs of the hopper ants. He made note of them, and he detached himself from them. There was nothing but the breath.

 

_In._

 

_Out._

 

_In._

 

_Out._

 

“_My beloved son, why do you run from us?” said the sad, feminine voice that haunted his dreams._

 

“_Please, just go away.”_

 

_In._

 

_Out._

 

_In._

 

_Out._

 

“_I cannot go away until you let me go, Chintak,” said the voice. The pity in that voice crushed Chintaks soul, “You cannot let me go until you deal with this part of yourself; you have to stop running.”_

 

“_I don't want to go through this again. Please, go away.”_

 

_In._

 

_Ou-_

 

“_Chintak, I am so sorry that you had to see that. We tried so hard to protect you. But now it is time to forgive me. Now it is time to let go. Let go of me, let go of this obsession. You cannot reach enlightenment like this.”_

 

“You should have never left,” Chintak began, his voice rough with tears. But then, in one quick motion, he stood, thrusting his open palmed hand toward the ground, “I SAID GO AWAY!” The ground shook, and the hopper ants stopped buzzing.

 

* * *

 

It had been a over month since Aang felt the wind in his face like this. He absentmindedly scratched Appa's head, and the sky bison growled appreciatively as he flew them northward. Behind him, Katara and Sokka bickered about some trivial thing, but Aang found it impossible to pay any attention. He was assaulted with the urge to totally surround himself in his element.

 

“Would someone take the reigns for me?” Aang shouted behind him.

 

“I will!” Suki replied, happy to get away from the siblings. Aang jumped to his feet, staff in hand, and dived off the side of the flying sky bison.

 

“It always makes me nervous when he does that,” Sokka complained, putting a malevolent grin on Katara's face.

 

“You're just jealous because you can't fly!”

 

“Katara!” Sokka probably said something else, but Katara didn't hear it. Aang had suddenly shot up from the other side of Appa, laughing his head off. He must have gone through the clouds below them, because he was soaking wet. Momo, in a playful mood, jumped after him, and they raced in spiraling loops around Appa.

 

“_He is so happy up here,”_ Katara thought wistfully. That train of thought bothered her, _“And so am I, but... I've been away from my family for so long, Away from dad. I wish for once we could stay in one place for more than a few weeks. He's been out of my life for so long. Maybe I should have stayed with him this time.”_

 

“Katara, is something wrong?” Sokka asked, switching to worried brother mode, “Usually you couldn't be happier watching loverboy show off.”

 

Katara shook herself out of her mood and was about to answer when suddenly Aang landed back on Appa. The typical “happy Aang” expression had dropped. In it's place was an unreadable mask, a look that had always frightened Katara.

 

“Not you, too!” cried Sokka, “What's wrong with _you_?”

 

“If it's all right with the rest of you, I want to make a short detour to the southern air temple. “

 

“Why, Aang?” Katara asked worriedly.

 

“The last time I was there,” Aang said, looking down, “I never really said goodbye.”

 

...

 

Aang jumped to his feet, staff in hand, and dived off the side of the flying Sky Bison.

 

Holding his staff out in front of him and diving through the air like an arrow, he felt free. He continued to pick up speed until he dived right through the clouds. Below them, it was raining, and Aang laughed even as he got soaked. With a quick motion, his staff became a blue glider, and Aang snapped into a vertical position, flying back towards his bison.

 

He rose above Appa, laughing uncontrollably at the feeling. Momo, his pet flying lemur, jumped after him. He turned over and looped around Appa, the race was on.

 

It was just like old times for Aang. He would race around the southern air temple for hours with his friends. At least, he would have before everyone found out he was the Avatar. After that, the only person who would really play with him was Monk Gyatso.

 

“_Just a year ago, we were playing Pai Sho.”_

 

Gyatso. Perhaps a hundred years had passed, but the loss of his mentor was still fresh in Aangs heart. He was able to detach himself from his loss when necessary, but Aang realized that it wasn't enough. One day, he would have to _deal_ with it.

 

He landed back on Appa, closing his glider with a flick of his wrist. Suddenly, airbending wasn't so fun anymore. Sokka was asking him a question, but he didn't hear it.

 

“If it's all right with the rest of you, I want to make a short detour to the southern air temple. “

 

* * *

 

The Southern Air Temple was close, but it was still dark by the time they made it. Appa landed at the base of the temple with a tired groan, and Aang scratched his head appreciatively.

 

“Thank you for bringing me back here, Appa,” Aang said with sincerity as he jumped to the ground.

 

“What are you going to do, Aang?” Katara asked in a worried voice as she struggled to catch up to him.

 

“In order to achieve enlightenment, you need to detach yourself from the world. The Air Nomads, especially the Monks, made this their goal.” Aang sighed, studying his feet carefully, “I can't do that. I'm the avatar. Even if I tried, I couldn't do it; my attachments are too strong.” His voice wavered, and he stopped to take a deep breath, “Still, it's tradition to burn our dead.”

 

Katara gasped, “Why would you do that?”

“Katara the body is nothing. It's just a shell, an illusion. It keeps us from letting go of the people we love. Gyatso is gone, but I keep thinking about the skeleton at the top of this mountain.” He couldn't keep himself from crying, “I can't just forget that I loved him. It's not that easy, believe me. But I need to accept that he is gone, and I need to say goodbye.”

 

The others didn't say anything. Sokka and Suki kept a respectful distance behind them. Katara just took his hand and walked with him, trying to remind him through her touch that he was not along.

 

“_That's right,” _she thought_, “this is why I came with him.”_

 

They started to see bones littering the street. Last time they were there, Aang found Gyatso's remains surrounded by dozens of firebenders. In his rage, the firebender remains had been scattered all over the place, but Gyatso had been undisturbed.

 

Finally, they reached the base of the main temple building. There was a small ruin just off to the side. The roof had been completely blown off, and the walls weren't in much better shape. Inside, there was nothing but dirt and rock and the remains of Gyatso, half buried in the ground.

 

With earthbending he pushed all of the bones out of the ground, and with a jab of his open palm, blue fire burned engulfed the skeleton. The others backed away at the heat, but it didn't take long to char what little there was left. Closing his palm and pulling I back in one quick motion, the heavy slab of rock Gyatso had been leaning against crashed over the remains, causing the others to jump, horrified.

 

Aang tried to keep the hurt out of his face, but ultimately failed. He looked down at the robes he had been given for saving the world, the robes of an Air Nomad monk, and wondered, not for the first time, how he deserved them. With another quick motion, Gyatso's burned and pulverized remains were free in the open air.

 

One last task remained. With the bare hands, Aang swept the remains into the bag, then took off in his glider to scatter the ashes around the mountain. When he was done, he tossed the bag, burning it into ash in the process. By the time he returned, the others were sitting somberly around a fire. Suki, nowhere to be seen, had apparently already gone to sleep.

 

“We're here for you, buddy.” said Sokka, grasping his shoulder firmly. Then he disappeared into his and Suki's tent. That left Katara, who just looked at him and, raising one of her arms, invited him to sit next to her. He did, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face into her neck. He couldn't keep himself from shaking any more.

 

“I miss him so much,” he said.

 

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N  
> In the hundred years of constant warfare, loss of loved ones is depressingly common in the Avatar Universe. It's a common attribute of a good percentage of the characters in the show. Here, I wanted to show that Chintak and Aang have similar emotional problems, and similar backgrounds, bt very different ways to deal with them.


	4. Quest for the Sword from Space (Part I)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took awhile for a number of reasons. I've only recently become a fan of Avatar. My little brother was watching it on netflix, and my step-dad, knowing I appreciated high quality cartoons (like TAS), suggested I give it a try. I watched the first episode, and was thunderstruck. I proceeded to consume the rest of the series in a matter of weeks.
> 
> I'm going to be honest. I've been spending a lot more time reading the vast library of Avatar fics than I have actually writing. Then I got a hold of the new Dresden Files book, which I devoured. :) Finally, I tend to spend a lot of time doing research. I go over the avatar wikia to make sure I get the details right. I go over the episodes a lot to keep the characters personalities and other details fresh in my mind, and I've also been reading a lot of wiki pages and stuff about Asian religion and culture. I hope some of that shows. I'm not entirely confident. I probably don't pull it off as well as I hope.

Toph smirked in the general direction of the man standing fifteen feet in front of her. The old announcer was spouting his typical nonsense, but she ignored him. This new guy was a relative unknown. Observing his last round, she had been pleasantly surprised. She'd win, of course, but it might be more interesting than her last two challengers. She almost felt bad about having to disqualify someone so talented so early on.

Almost.

She studied his features. She couldn't see him, of course, but she could _feel_ him. He wasn't as bulky or as tall as The Boulder, but that was all show. This man was in prime fighting condition, built for both speed and power.

"I've heard a lot about The Blind Bandit." he said, revealing a soft, gruff voice to Toph, one that didn't sound like it got a lot of practice. She filed it away as another feature to define him in substitution of the sight she didn't possess. "It'll be an honor to beat you."

She showed him her teeth and got into a fighting stance. It was a low stance, her arms and legs bending at odd angles. She didn't bother looking at him, but even though her bangs fell to almost completely cover her eyes, it was somehow clear that she was focused entirely on him. Her predatory grin made her look almost like an animal, as if she was going to pounce on him any moment now and tear him to pieces.

It was an uncomfortable feeling.

Somewhere, a gong was struck, and Toph's opponent fell into a horse stance. The ring shook as he balled his fists painfully tight and focused his mind and soul on the surrounding stone. Toph frowned and waited, searching with all her senses for some sign that hadn't yet shown itself.

"What are you up to?"

Her opponent growled with exertion and thrust his hands high over his head. Suddenly, what had once been a flat ring formed into a steep slope. While Toph's opponent expertly kept his balance, Toph fell backwards and began to tumble painfully down the ring. In the moment before she fell out of it, she managed to ram her hand into the ground. She screamed in rage as she felt the force of her sudden stop impact every join and muscle in her arm. A little too late she regained her focus and felt the boulder rolling toward her. She swiped it away with her free arm just before she was crushed by it, but small stones flying off from the impact hit her face, dust stinging her eyes.

Ok, so he had been holding back in that last fight.

Ignoring the pain, Toph forced herself upright, one forceful motion with her feet causing a small, stable platform of rock to jut out from the ring. Toph, with renewed vigor, swept her hands behind her forcefully and laughed malevolently as the platform rolled effortlessly up the slope. She smirked at the feeling of his heartbeat pounding in his chest.

The man tried to run away, but Toph twirled her hips and arms around, screwing him tightly into the rock. Sweat streamed down his face as she shot toward him. The seconds passed by slowly, and in desperation, he rammed his head into the earth under him. It cracked; not enough to jump free, but enough to move his arms a little. He looked up, and the little demon seemed to be inches away from him, bloody murder on her face and a rock twice her size held high above her head.

The rock slowly gave way as he pushed into it with all his might. It was just before the Blind Bandit flattened him that he shot up into the air. His relief didn't last long after a rock came out of nowhere and crashed into his face.

He slammed into the ring and rolled down his own trap at a dangerous speed. It was with pure instinctual desperation that he managed to stop himself. He slowly wobbled to his feet. It felt like his nose was broken, and he didn't feel so good. The ground seemed to be shaking, and he heard a crashing sound in the background. Distractedly, he looked up to see that the area he was standing in was no longer connected to the ring. That was important wasn't it? He felt sure that he must be.

Toph chunked him outside of the ring, and the audience exploded.

* * *

Toph ignored the announcer and her rabid fans. There was an interesting character about, and she was going to follow him. Thankfully, he was hurt pretty bad, so he couldn't go far. A team of medics took him into an infirmary just out of the way.

"So what's your name, mountain boy?"

The man opened his eyes to see the little blind girl standing over him. She didn't bother trying to make eye contact. It was a little disconcerting to him that this fragile looking girl had beaten him so easily.

"I'm Shan." he replied. Again, Toph got the feeling he didn't talk much.

"Well I'm Toph! You weren't bad today. I had fun. If you ever want a rematch, I'll be glad to beat you again."

"Don't think I can beat'cha, miss. Pa might."

"We'll see about that. After I become the Rock Breaker champion."

* * *

**A/N – So what's the deal with Toph? Well, first of all, I really liked the tournament parts of Dragon Ball (the one where Goku is a kid/teenager. I liked DBZ as well, but it didn't have quite the same quality). Second of all, I thought it would be interesting if she temporarily left Team Avatar...for reasons which I will explore later. ;)**

**Anyway, how did I describe the action here? Was it exiting or dull? Too much or too little detail? Any constructive criticism on this or any other element is much appreciated.**

* * *

From the southern air temple, it took five days of hard flying to reach the eastern edge of the Chameleon Bay. The lush greens of summer were just starting to die down here. They could see the Wulong Mountains spreading up and down the peninsula.

"There it is!" Sokka squealed, pointing and shaking an annoyed Suki excitedly. He switched to his 'adult' voice, "Over those mountains!" Appa groaned unhappily.

"Sorry Sokka, but Appa's exhausted. It's almost dark, anyway. We need to find a place to stop for the night."

"How about that town?" Katara asked, looking through Sokka's retractable spyglass and pointing near the base of the mountains.

Aang squinted. "It's kind of far." he said skeptically.

"C'mon, Aang. Let's get some _real_ food," said Sokka, drooling more than a little. Suki looked torn between adoration and disgust.

"I don't know...What do you think, boy?" Appa's groan sounded a little frustrated, but he wasn't entirely hostile to the idea. With both hands, Aang scratched his head appreciatively. Judging by the way he rumbled, it seemed to warm Appa up to the idea.

"It's settled, then!" said Sokka desperately. Then he pointed toward the mountain and switched back to his 'adult' voice, "To the town!"

* * *

**A/N – Wait, Chameleon Bay?! I figured it was the most realistic possibility for the location of Wulong forest. Ozai traveled from the Palace to the Earth Kingdom in what? A day? Two? I realize the creators had to get a bunch of plot lines to converge in a short amount of time, and perhaps we were just expected to suspend disbelief, but I actually think this makes the most sense. He could have traveled west instead of east, and the area around Chameleon bay is a good strategic landing area. If they hadn't been interrupted, they might have reached Ba Sing Se before the comet passed and totally destroyed the Earth Kingdoms political and cultural center.**

* * *

Reaching the town – more a village actually – took just over an hour. As they got closer, they could make out the small earthen huts scattered around the mountain. They landed a little way from the village on a small paved path, and Appa groaned in appreciation at being able to rest from airbending.

It wasn't long before they finally reached a small paifang, where two armed sentries leaned lazily against the beams. The words _Dongshan Village_ were painted on the top. The guard on the right, a middle aged man who seemed to be overly fond of stroking his goatee, bowed excitedly upon seeing Aang.

"Avatar Aang! It is a pleasure to have you visit our humble town. I'm Tho! This," he said, gesturing to his companion, "is my daughter Bo." Bo nodded her head and grunted, but otherwise barely acknowledged their existence. She casually held a saber against her shoulder. It had a blade about four feet long and was usually used to cut down charging ostrich horses. Aang and his group all seemed to be watching her nervously.

"Uhm," said Tho, a little embarrassed by his daughters attitude, "Anyway, let me escort you into the village! I'm sure Rui will want to meet you. He is our spiritual leader. Local legend has it that he is a descended of one of an Avatar who lived thousands of years ago!"

"Um. Ok." Aang said, and they followed him up some steps leading to a small market. Aang had to grab Momo by the tail to prevent him from flying off, presumably to "borrow" some of the local fruits, which people were just now beginning to put away. A small crowd of people tried to form around them, but Tho shooed them away, which Aang appreciated. Finally, they came to a walled off building, what was probably the biggest and most well-built in the town. It was three stories tall and covered in fresh green paint. Paper lanterns were scattered all around the place, giving off that eerie green light typical of the Earth Kingdom.

"He is right through here, Avatar." said Bo, stopping at the gate, "If it pleases you, I would be honored to escort your bison somewhere where he can rest and eat." Appa seemed to agree with that plan.

"Sure. Be sure to treat him with the same respect you'd treat me," he said with a voice he didn't use very often. It was the sort of voice people stop and listen to, maybe a part of being the Avatar, or maybe it was simply the force of Aang's will, so often hidden, coming out. Katara smiled to herself behind him. She liked that voice.

Inside the temple was a small common area with a statue of a man praying towering over everyone. The priests wore yellow robes and top knots similar to the style worn in the Fire Nation. A few sat around playing Pai Sho. A few prayed. In the distance, they could hear chanting. Aang felt a little nervous about interrupting someone.

Sokka didn't seem to mind all that much.

"Hi," he said, rudely supporting himself on an active Pai Sho table, "I'm Sokka, and my friend over here," he pointed to Aang, "is the Avatar. We're looking for Rui."

Aang sighed as everyone stopped what they were doing. A shout or two of "The Avatar!" made him cringe. It felt good to be appreciated every once in awhile, but it seemed like he had to deal with this sort of thing every time he went out in public. Aang loved people, literally, but this? It started making him feel claustrophobic. He started to back out of the temple when someone behind him squeezed his shoulders. Aang leaned back into her for just a moment, and suddenly felt very calm.

"Thanks, Katara."

"Avatar Aang!" said a voice to his right. They looked to see an old man at the top of some stairs. His robes were slightly richer than the other priests. It was covered in characters designed to ward off spirits and bad luck. Despite his age, he seemed to hop down the stairs excitedly, and nearly ran into Aang in his haste.

"Avatar Aang, it is a surprise to see you visit our humble village. Did you know, spiritually speaking, you're something of a relative of mine." Aang didn't know if he agreed with that, but he smiled anyway. "You absolutely have to stay here. We'll bring you some food; then we can talk."

"Sure. I don't eat meat, though." Aang warned as Sokka danced around in triumph.

* * *

The meal was simple compared to some of the things forced on them in celebration, but it was still delicious. Aang dug into a soup made from eggs and sugar water with gusto, while Sokka concentrated on devouring all the priests' roasted picken legs. Katara and Suki watched the two, more than a little disturbed. In the past few months, Aang's appetite had been growing to match Sokka's. It wasn't a pretty sight.

"Avatar Aang," Rui said, not in the least bit disturbed by the two boys, "if you don't mind me asking, what brings you to Dongshan?"

"Well," Aang replied, forcing himself to politely put his bowl back on the table, "we defeated Fire Lord Ozai not far from here. Sokka lost his sword in the fight, and it's kinda important to him. I want to get it back."

The table was suddenly very quiet. Rui, who seemed to have the humor of an airbender, looked at Aang with dead seriousness.

"You shouldn't go there," he said. "The place has been overrun by spirits. People who go there don't come back."

Sokka stopped eating, and everyone watched Aang and Rui intently.

"How long has this been going on?"

"Started shortly after the battle. Looters came in trying to dismantle the airships. A lot of desperate people were planning on getting rich. But it didn't work out that way. Those airships are still out there. Anyone who gets too close to the place where you fought Ozai disappears."

"Typical spirit world shenanigans," Sokka said, trying to sound confident, "Aang's got it covered for sure. Right, Aang?"

"I'm not sure, Sokka" he replied, causing his friend to frown, "The thing about the spirit world is _nothing_ is typical. You can't really predict what will happen. You might have a big fluffy panda who's mad his forest was burned down. You might have a spirit older than mine who will steal your face if you show the slightest hint of emotion. More likely than not, it'll be something I've never seen before."

"But, Aang!," Sokka whined, "You're the _Avatar_. This sort of thing is what you _do_. Isn't it?"

"Sokka don't pressure him!" Katara said, grabbing his hand reassuringly while giving Sokka a look that made him very afraid.

"No. Sokka's right. This sort of thing shouldn't happen. It's my job to fix this imbalance. But I'm not going in there blind. The other Avatars live in the spirit world. It might help if I talk to one of them first."

"You should talk to Avatar Lao!," Rui said, his eyes lighting up, "He was my ancestor you know! Spent a lot of time in the spirit world. Taught our sect everything we know!"

"Sure," Aang replied dully, "I'll do that."

* * *

Aang sat on a balcony floor and closed his eyes. He had taken off his heavy shawl and enjoyed the feeling of the cool autumn wind blowing into his shirt. It was a nice feeling, one that wasn't too hard to think about. Aang focused on that feeling. Before long, there was nothing in all the universe but the feel of the autumn wind on his skin.

Suddenly, the wind had direction. It created a sound as, in the distance, it collided with the trees. Those trees had roots that thrust deeply into the earth. That same earth spread into the foundation of the temple. That same temple supported Aang as he meditated. Not for the first time, he came to the intimate realization that all of these things were connected, and that they could all be defined by one word. That word was "Avatar". Any separation between him and anything else in creation was an illusion. He wasn't just the protector of the earth, he _was_ the earth. Just as much as the wind was the earth, and the ground was the earth, and the seas were the earth, and the earth was life as well, and death. All of these things were simply different elements of the same thing.

Aang was ready.

"Avatar Lao," he said, aware all the same that he and Avatar Lao were one and the same, "I want to talk to you." When he opened his eyes, a spirit sat looking back at him. He held the reigns of a creature lying next to him casually in his lap. Aang had never seen nor heard of a creature like that, but he was somehow aware that it was a water buffalo.

Lao presented himself as a balding middle aged man with a mustache. Physically, he seemed unremarkable, and yet, Aang was instantly reminded of Iroh. Iroh got the same look in his eyes at times. A look like he knew things that Aang couldn't yet comprehend. He supposed if he had to define it, he would call it wisdom, but the word didn't seem to do the thing justice.

"Avatar Aang," Lao said, "I am always here to help when you ask. As old as I am, it's been awhile since anyone's asked for my help. They always seem to go for the newer Avatars." he smiled, "So. What can I help you with?"

"I need your advice. Spirits have taken over Wulong forest, along with a lot of people who were there. I need to know just what's going on. I need to know what to do."

"My advice to you, Aang," Lao said, giving him a serious look, "is to do nothing."

"_Nothing_!" Aang said, leaning back in surprise. "How can I sit here and do nothing? The other Avatars spent so much time telling me about how I had to act. I had to do _something_."

"Yes, Aang. You must act to shape the world. That is more than your job. It is your duty. Your _purpose_. But all things, action and inaction alike, have consequences. Many consequences that you will not be able to predict. Part of being the Avatar is not only acting, but knowing _when_ to act."

"And why shouldn't I do anything now?"

"You are inexperienced. This is not the time to be making enemies in the spirit world. They are angry, and this is a manifestation of that anger. This sort of thing is happening all over the world, Aang, but it will pass in time. For now, worry about your purpose in this world, which needs you more. If you were to die on a trip to the spirit world, the world would fall apart. It is not ready to lose you, and you are not ready to be lost."

Aang furrowed his brows as he processed this. It didn't seem right.

"Why are the spirits angry?" he asked.

"Different reasons. For many of them, the anger has been building up over the past hundred years. The assault on the earth itself just a few months ago put them over the edge. Their anger is bleeding into the world of the living, and the spirits themselves don't even have control over it.

And there are a few spirits, those like Koh who are a little less forgiving than your average air nomad, who are angry at _you_, Aang. Angry because you denied them the pleasure of tormenting the man who did it. They are angry at you for not killing Fire Lord Ozai."

"No, this isn't right." Aang said, shaking his head in frustration. "This is an imbalance. I can't let them terrorize the world like this, and I can't let them take innocent people. I have to go there and stop them. I'm sorry."

"I thought you might say that, _Avatar_ Aang," Lao said with a knowing smile, "so I wish you luck."

Aang felt him pull away.

"Wait! Rui, is he really your relative?" Lao snorted.

"Of course not," he said with a wink, "but don't tell him that."

* * *

"Aang? You've been out here for a couple of hours now. Are you ok?"

Aang opened his eyes and smiled as they revealed the most beautiful girl in the world.

"Hi, Katara. I'm sorry, just enjoying the night." he said, gesturing for her to sit next to him.

"Did you talk to Avatar Lao," Katara asked as she plopped down, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

"Yes." he said simply.

"C'mon, Aang, what did he say?"

"Eh, you know, Avatar stuff," he said evasively.

"Aang, stop, what did you learn?" she asked forcefully.

"I learned," Aang sighed in defeat, "that it would be very dangerous. And that I'm going alone."

"The hells you are!" Katara whispered furiously, pulling her face right up next to Aang's, "Why would you say something so stupid?!"

Aang was surprised by his girlfriend's ferocity, and more than a little afraid. He'd seen her angry before, but she'd never, in the year that he'd been traveling with her, talked like _that_.

"Katara," he said, trying and failing to keep his voice steady, "This is spirit world stuff. It's no place for you."

"And why not?!"

"Because it's no place for anybody! Katara, things don't work there like they do here. You won't be able to bend. Being able to fight at all is pretty useless against spirits who can't die. And there are things..." Aang recalled the terror he felt after meeting Koh. The pure terror that he literally couldn't express, because if he did, he'd die. "You aren't prepared for some of the things you might see in there, and even I'm pretty inexperienced with spirit world stuff."

"I can still help," she said stubbornly.

"Katara, you'd be a liability."

Katara looked down at Aang coldly, stiffening her shoulders.

"You really think so? Fine. I don't care. Go on your own."

She made a move to get up, but Aang grabbed her hand desperately. She looked back at him to see him more afraid that she'd seen him in a very long time. Was it at the thought of her leaving or because of what he had to do, or both? She wasn't sure.

"Please," he choked out, "don't go."

Katara hesitated only a second before slowly sitting back down next to him. Aang immediately leaned in and crushed his lips against hers. Katara wrapped her arms tightly around him in surprise, and opened her mouth when he prodded it with his tongue. Usually she was the one to initiate this sort of thing. Being on the receiving end... To say that it was disorienting isn't enough. It was an all out assault on her senses.

Aang wasn't doing much better. He came up and gasped for air like a drowning man before bringing his mouth down to her neck and pushing her slowly toward the ground. Distantly, he registered a gasp as he moved his hand up and down Katara's side. He tugged clumsily at her sash as he shook from a feeling more intense than anything he'd felt before.

"Aang," Katara gasped as he continued to kiss her face and neck, "what are you doing?"

"Just want to touch you." he said before slipping his hand into her kimono. Her skin was hot to the touch, and suddenly Katara brought her lips back to his and yanked violently at his own sash. She finally managed to get it undone when they heard another voice, quiet but firm.

"You sure that's a good idea?"

The two froze instantly. Aang shut his squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head violently before looking at Sokka, who was leaning against the wall casually. Well, sort of casually. The effort that went into trying to look like the cool older brother was pretty obvious.

"Sokka," Katara said, more than a little annoyed, "what are you doing here?"

"Wait a minute Katara," Aang said, self-consciously straightening his clothes. Suddenly the cool autumn air just felt uncomfortably cold. "Sokka's right. I'm not ready for something like _that_." His feet must have been very interesting, the way he looked at them.

"Look, Katara, I'm not going to sit here and tell you how to live your life." Sokka grinned, "I'm not that stupid. I'm just trying to look out for you. That's what brothers are for. It's my job."

"We were just kissing," she said defensively.

"Not what it looked like to me."

"Yeah, yeah." Katara said, sighing in defeat.

"Thank you for being there for me." Aang said after Sokka left the way he came.

"Huh?" Katara asked distractedly, "Of course I'm here for you, Aang."

"And I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean to imply that I didn't value your abilities. It's just the spirit world is a very dangerous place. It's not really meant for humans, and I care about you a lot. I don't want to lose you."

"I know what you meant. I just lost my temper."

"You'll wait for me, wont you," Aang said, studying the sky intently.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I keep thinking I'm fooling myself. You're perfect, and I'm just some stupid kid. I keep thinking maybe you'll find someone older and more experienced, you know?"

"Aang, don't say stuff like that," she said, leaning her head against his shoulder, "I'm not much older than you are. And I care about you a lot, too."

"So it doesn't bother you that I don't want to…Y'know…have sex. Not yet, anyway."

"What?!" Katara asked, jolting her head up and looking a little red in the face. "No, Aang. No it doesn't. Can we please talk about something else?"

"Actually," Aang said brightly before kissing Katara on the cheek. "I think it's time for me to go to bed. I want to get an early start tomorrow." He stood up and walked quickly back toward the door. A little _too_ quickly, Katara thought. Then she tried to think about something else.

* * *

It was mid morning now. Aang got up just before dawn and started flying on his glider toward Wulong forest. If he'd had the time, the stone pillars stretching along the mountains base might have awed him. It wasn't long before he found the first one that had been destroyed.

'_Did we really do that?_' He thought to himself as he passed another. The colossal stone towers had been smashed like they were nothing. From here, Aang could make out the Forest beyond, or what was left of it. Months had passed, and there was still a huge expanse of ash. Aang landed amongst the pillars as the air suddenly got eerily cold. Mist seemed to appear out of nowhere, and the sky turned blood red.

Aang was in the spirit world.

* * *

**A/N: Just a bit of trivia, Lao is (loosely) based on Laozi, a (most likely) mythical Taoist philosopher.**


	5. Quest for the Sword from Space (Part II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Kakashi voice* Sorry I'm late. I got lost on the path of life.

“You should go talk to her. She's been sulking all morning.”

“Who?”

“Your sister, stupid!” Suki said shortly. Sokka eyed her suspiciously.

“Are you trying to get rid of me? You know, you aren't entitled to my inheritance unless we get married.”

“What inheritance?” Suki asked darkly, giving him a look that suggested that maybe he wouldn't have to wait for Katara to kill him.

“You know what?” Sokka asked, his voice suddenly much higher, “I'm going to go talk to Katara.”

 

* * *

“It's good to see you again, Aang.”

If Aang could bend, he would have jumped thirty feet. Instead, he jumped with his back to a rock column and held up his staff defensively. It took another moment to register it. It was Avatar Roku. He smiled down at Aang.

“_Avatar _Aang,” he corrected himself, voice thick with emotion.

“Avatar Roku,” Aang said, rubbing his bald head a little nervously at his mentors implied compliment, “I'm glad to see you. I need some help. Some _real _help. A priest suggested I contact some Avatar named Lao, and I did, but he just told me not to do _anything_.”

“You should consider continuing your education, Aang. You should have heard of Avatar Lao.”

“Why? Who is he?”

“He is one of the first of the great Earth Kingdom philosophers. In the Earth Kingdom, everything from religion to military strategy is influenced by his work. I guarantee your friend Bumi was heavily influenced by his work on Jing. You could learn a lot from him.”

“But he thinks I shouldn't do anything. There are people trapped in here that need my _help_, Roku. I can't just leave them here to die.”

“I know you can't.” Roku said, looking down at his friend seriously, “Even with the world at stake you came and risked everything to save a few people who got lost. You have no idea how much I admire you for that. And yet, Lao is right. People can and _will _use it against you when given the chance. I believe in you. If you are confident in your own abilities, you can survive today. But I'm afraid, too.” Aang shook his head, confused.

“Afraid of what?”

“I'm afraid of what will happen if it's ever not enough.”

Aang's stance changed subtly in a way that was happening more and more often recently. He suddenly seemed taller than he was, somehow, and utterly confident. Roku tried not to grin. If he had to describe it with one word, he would have called it _authority_. It was something all Avatars picked up in their own way eventually, and Aang was doing so at a remarkably young age.

“I won't let that happen.” He said simply. Roku looked like he was going to say more, but quickly decided against it. He beamed down at his young friend instead.

“You know, Aang, I believe you. I will help you save those people, if I can.”

 

* * *

_Going to forest to deal with spirits. Be back tonight or tomorrow. Do not follow me. Aang. _

Katara leaned against railing on the same balcony where she'd kissed him the night before and stared blankly at the barely readable cursive calligraphy left on a scroll in his room. Worry had turned to anger hours ago, and it hadn't quite let up.

“Hey, Katara,” Sokka burst out nervously, “Are you all right?” His head was barely peeking out of the door.

“I'm fine.”

“Oh..Sure. Ok.” He silently shut the door, then promptly jumped against it when he turned to see Suki's angry face inches from his. His great warrior survival instincts kicked in and he quickly turned around and stepped impulsively out of the door, into the fire. He heard it shut behind him.

“Listen, Katara, I know you're bothered by Aang going up there by himself, so you might as well talk about it.”

“_We _talked about it!” Katara snapped. Sokka tried in vain to show no fear. “I knew he had to go alone. I was ok with that. But then he left at who knows when in the morning and didn't even give me a chance to say goodbye! Doesn't he know there are people here who are going to worry about him?”

“It could be that he just didn't believe you.” Sokka said, before his mouth could catch up with his brain, “I mean, you can be kind of overbearing sometimes.”

Sokka didn't realize his mistake until she did an about-face and glared up at him.

“What I mean to say is, he probably just got excited and couldn't wait anymore. You know Aang.” He breathed out and put as much distance between him and her as the wall behind him would allow.

'_Well_,' he thought, '_I could be handling this better_.'

 

* * *

Being a master airbender, it always surprised Aang how much time it took to get anywhere on foot. After four hours or so of walking on solid rock, his feet started to really hurt. Thankfully, it was around that time that the terrain started to change. In the beginning, despite a few differences, the world around him had mimicked the world he had come from. Mist kept him from seeing more than a mile in either direction, but there had been huge rock pillars everywhere, just like before.

The Pillars stopped rather suddenly and gave way to forest. But it was different from the Wulong Forest he was accustomed to. The trees were the biggest he'd ever seen. With the mist, it was impossible to see the tops of them. They were the wrong color, too. Everything was a sort of washed out color that didn't feel _real _to him.

He had barely stepped into this surreal wood when a group of rhesus monkeys fell out of the sky in front of him. They all had grayish-brown hair and deep red faces. Aang was instantly reminded of a time he'd been hallucinating from lack of sleep, because every one of these monkeys, the tallest no more than two feet off of the ground, was covered in hardened leather armor. It looked a lot like what he'd expect to see on someone from the lower ranks of the Earth Kingdom military a hundred years ago. Aang nervously raised a hand in greeting, their spears a painful reminder that he couldn't bend in this place.

“Uhm, Hi! I'm Aa-”

“You've got a lot of nerve showing up here, Avatar!” said the shortest and best dressed of the monkeys. Aang was surprised to hear the deep, female voice coming from her inhuman face.

“Uh, what do you mean?”

“What do we mean?” the others snickered as she started to subtly change shape. Aang stepped back in fear, which turned out to be a mistake, because she hurled herself at him, her spear held overhand and aimed directly at his chest.

It was sheer reflex that saved his life. He wasn't even sure how he ended up behind her, and he didn't remember slicing his hand against her head, but he heard her stumble to the ground, and he heard her companions scream in rage as they circled him. He could see their muscles tense in preparation to pounce. They were just furry animals less than two feet tall, but they were fast and aggressive and _loud_. He was sure he was going to die.

Around the time he was hit by that realization, a chimpanzee fell from the sky and everything stopped. Aang risked a look up into the murky red sky. The mist was as thick as ever and he still couldn't see how high up the trees went. Then he snapped his eyes onto the newcomer. He could worry about rational things like, “Where are they coming from?” and “How did they survive the fall?” later.

“You idiots!” cried the newcomer, “Don't you think Shi Hou1 would rather kill the Avatar himself?”

“Hey, hey, c'mon guys!” Aang burst out desperately, “There's no need to kill the Av- I mean me. I'm a good guy! See?” He tried giving one of his trademark good-guy grins, but it turned out looking more like a grimace. Everything stopped for a moment as the others stared at him in disbelief.

“Sifu Pan!” cried one of the rhesus monkeys, “He hurt our commander.”

“I saw the whole thing, so don't try to explain to me. Your commander is an idiot.” The others flinched at the insult. Pan, in contrast to the others, was calm and emotionless. Instead of being covered in armor, he wore a simple brown zhiju2. In comparison, he seemed almost harmless, and yet the hot headed rhesus monkeys kept their distance. “Take her and get out of my sight. I will take the Avatar to Shi Hou.”

The others moved quickly, climbing effortlessly up the giant, seemingly limbless trees. One even carried his commander with his feet and climbed only with his hands. Once again Aang was hit with the feeling of not-quite-reality. They moved so fast that they soon disappeared in the mist.

“Now.” said Pan, giving Aang his full attention, “You will come with me.”

“Uhm. I'm not sure that's such a good idea.”

“I wasn't asking,” the monkey replied. Pan was big. If he walked like a human, he would have been as tall, if not taller than Aang. Instead, he walked with a slow, deliberate pace toward Aang using both the bottoms of his feet and the knuckles on his hands. Aang got into his fighting stance, and started to move around Pan in a spiral. He didn't want to hurt him, but he didn't want to be forcefully taken to be killed, either.

His opponent seemed confident. He didn't bother to keep an eye on Aang. He kept on all fours and slowly intercepted him. It was such an odd fighting stance that Aang was having trouble finding an opening. He started changing directions, back and forth, moving towards Pan in a semicircular pattern. The calm of his opponent made him extremely uneasy, and he uncharacteristically took the offensive, changing directions every couple seconds in hopes of confusing him.

He closed the distance between the two. Pan, unconcerned, let Aang come up at an angle behind him, and as soon as he was within range, the calm animal exploded in a flash of movement. A foot was moving toward Aang's face. He tried to circle around it, to avoid or redirect the impact of the blow, but instead the foot grabbed him. Suddenly Aang was being hurled through the air above Pan, who bent at an inhuman and unpredictable angle. Within three seconds, Aang was pinned to the ground, completely unable to move and with his face inches from his opponents.

“I'm sorry, Avatar Aang,” he said, close enough for Aang to feel his breath, “But you are coming with me.” He reared his head back, and a moment later, everything was black.

 

* * *

“Avatar. Wake up.” Aang suddenly found consciousness and tried to bolt upright. That turned out to be a mistake. An apes head was in the way, and both of them cried out in pain from the impact3. Aang recovered first, and pulled back to quickly jump to his feet.

“Wait. Wait!” cried Pan, still holding his head, “I'm not an enemy.”

“What do you mean?” Aang asked. Then he looked around, still disoriented. The first thing he noted was that the mist was gone. The next thing he noticed was that he was standing on a ground that seemed to consist of a network of thousands of intertwined branches. It was far from perfect. There were holes everywhere. One not far from where he stood. He looked down it and all he could see was the mist.

“Ok. Where did you take me? What's going on?”

“We're in the trees. I'm here to help you.”

“You've got a nice way of showing it.”

“We were being watched.” Pan sighed. Aang wasn't exactly sure how a monkey was supposed to look when he got old, but he imagined it was something like Pan. More than that, he seemed to be falling apart. It was a strong contrast to the master martial artist he saw before. “The entire perimeter of the forest is being watched at all times.” He looked behind Aang for a moment before bowing. “I know you are there, Avatar Roku.”

“It's been a long time, Sifu Pan.” Roku said, popping casually into existence behind Aang, “I would expect nothing less from you.”

“You two know each other?” Aang asked, looking from one to the other in disbelief.

“During my time as Avatar, Sifu Pan helped me in the spirit world quite often. He also tried to teach me his clan's peculiar brand of martial arts.” He grimaced at the thought. “I wouldn't recommend it. People aren't meant to bend that way.”

Aang fell to his knees and started rubbing his head. He was too young to start getting chronic headaches. Wasn't he?

“Every thing's happening so fast. It's confusing.” He looked up to Pan. “I've never seen spirits act so...”

“Human?” Pan asked.

“Yeah. I guess so.”

“Well, the monkey clan is pretty closely related to humans.” He frowned and sat down himself. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. “We are the most like humans. That means we are the most susceptible to corruption.” He opened his eyes and looked pointedly at Roku. “Shi Hou has succumbed.”

Aang shook his head. “What does that even mean?”

“You've seen it twice before, I think,” supplied Roku.

“When a spirit is consumed by hate or anger or fear. All those nasty emotions you humans seem to spread like a disease. We spirits aren't meant for it. It changes us.” Pan sighed. “Shi Hou has been on the breaking point for a long time. The destruction in his oldest forest put him over the edge, and it's spread pretty quickly to the lower ranks.”

“So...This is like what happened with Hai Bai?” Aang asked thoughtfully.

“Exactly like that, yes.” Said Pan, “But I don't think it will be as easy to deal with Shi Hou. He is much more dangerous. And stubborn.”

“I wouldn't underestimate Aang. He has a way with people and spirits.”

“That didn't save him from Wong Shi Tong.”

“Even so.”

“Let's stop arguing about me.” Aang said forcefully. “What are we going to do?”

“My family has been preparing a coup for some time.” Replied Pan, his tone somber. “Perhaps the gorillas have ruled too long.” Aang immediately jumped to his feet and Pan looked at him in surprise.

“No! No, no, no! Don't you see? That's just what you _shouldn't_ be doing!”

“And just who are you to say that, kid?!” Pan asked defensively. He'd already begun to shake a little with anger, “What else are we supposed to do?!” Aang looked at Pan with hard eyes for a moment before forcing himself to relax. Mimicking Pans exercise from a moment before, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking back at Pan.

“If you start a war, you will lose yourself. And nothing will have changed.” Aang spoke with absolute certainty. “Do you think you are strong enough to kill someone without making them a monster? Without hate? Is anyone?”

“I just don't know.” Said Pan, looking up at that kid and feeling absolutely ashamed.

“I guess there's only one thing we can do.”

“What do you mean, Aang?” asked Roku. He was as stumped as Pan.

“You'll have to take me to see Shi Hou.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this doesn't sound ridiculous. I actually like how it turned out, but it's never as good as I'd like it. I wanted to capture a feeling that was both quirky and a little dangerous, like something out of a Miyazaki film. I'm just an amateur, though, and it's not something to replicate with a purely literary medium.
> 
> Also, I didn't want to spread this arc into three parts, but I'm a sucker for a good cliff hanger. As a result, though, the next chapter will probably be shorter and come out faster.
> 
> 1) Shi Hou means "Stone Monkey". It's one of the monkey king's names.
> 
> 2) According to The Great Wiki, a Zhiju is a sort of casual Chinese clothing from the olden days. wikipedia dot org slash wiki slash Hanfu
> 
> 3) Funny story. This happened with me and my uncle once. Dude tried leaning over me and shaking my shoulders to wake me up. This was not his best idea.


End file.
